Seattle Modern Orchestra: The Nothing Man & Other Tales

• Maria Männistö, soprano
• Julia Tai, conductor

SMO's 2022–2023 season will conclude with the world premiere of The Nothing Man and Other Tales, written for SMO by celebrated composer Wang Lu (commissioned by the Barlow Foundation). Lu's new work for SMO takes inspiration from children's stories and will feature SMO ensemble soprano, Maria Männistö, described in the Seattle Times as "one of the most hauntingly beautiful voices I have heard in years."

Our finale concert also includes two immersive works for chamber orchestra, Aequilibria by Anna Thorvaldsdóttir and Joël-François Durand's Mundus Imaginalis. Aequilibria presents an "eerie landscape – a musical equivalent of magical realism" (Allan Kozinn, The Wall Street Journal), while Mundus Imaginalis explores the balance and tension between the intellectual mind and intuitive perception in a musical journey of dramatic textures and transformations.

About Seattle Modern Orchestra

Founded in 2010, Seattle Modern Orchestra (SMO) is the only large ensemble in the Pacific Northwest solely dedicated to the music of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Led by co-artistic directors Julia Tai and Jérémy Jolley, SMO commissions and premieres new works from an international lineup of composers, in addition to presenting important pieces from the contemporary repertoire that are rarely if ever heard by Seattle audiences. The ensemble "operates at that exciting cusp between old and new, between tradition and innovation" (Vanguard Seattle) curating new sounds and experiences for concert goers in the region.

SMO provides audiences with performances of the best in contemporary chamber and orchestral music, and develops radio talks, lectures, and other forms of outreach in an accessible and inviting format all designed to expand the listener’s appreciation and awareness of the music of today.

About Maria Männistö, soprano

https://www.seattlesymphony.org/about/meetthemusicians/theorchestra/artists/i-p/mannisto-maria

About Julia Tai, conductor

http://www.juliatai.com